Barcelona won the 2015 Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Juventus
in Berlin on Saturday. The Catalans' early opener was wiped out soon
after the restart, though they rallied to net a second midway through
the second period and a third at the death.It was the Blaugrana's fifth win in this tournament, and first since 2011.
It took just four minutes for Barça to score the game's first goal, when Lionel Messi swung a glorious crossfield pass for Jordi Alba
out on the left. Andrés Iniesta promptly took receipt of the ball in
the box in the penalty area, and laid on a simple finish for Ivan
Rakitić to slot home.
It was the start of a few
minutes of utter dominance from the Catalans, with Juve completely
chasing shadows. Only a smart reaction stop from goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon prevented Dani Alves from doubling Barça's advantage just 10 minutes after their opener.
As the half wore on, Juve began to steady the ship, and even enjoyed spells of possession in Barça's half. The bianconeri scarcely
tested keeper Marc-André ter Stegen, though by the halftime whistle
their deficit remained at a single goal. They may have been second-best,
but the game was still alive.
It stayed that way early into
the second half, despite Barça looking back to their terrifying best.
They'd cruised through most of the opening period, though they redoubled
their efforts after the restart and went close thrice in the opening
six minutes.
However, goalscoring chances
are only useful if you take them, and Barça's profligacy was swiftly
punished just short of the hour. Carlos Tevez wriggled away from Gerard
Piqué and drew a great save from ter Stegen, only for Álvaro Morata to
tap home the rebound. Suddenly Juve were level and in the ascendancy.
For the first time in the match
shots began to rain down on the Barça goal, but they clung on. They
also had a player called Messi. With just over 20 minutes to go, the
Argentine wonder took the ball on the counter-attack and lashed a low
shot towards goal. Buffon could only parry it straight into the path of
Luis Suárez, who tapped into the empty net.
It looked like Neymar had
sealed Barça's victory a few minutes later, only for the referee to
chalk his goal off for handball. Replays showed it had indeed come off
his arm after he failed to make a clean contact with his forehead, but
it certainly didn't look deliberate. He looked understandably aggrieved.
That was until the seventh
minute of stoppage time, when the Brazilian converted a quick
counter-attack to score with the last kick of the match.
3 Things
1. Barça's opener capitalized on Juve's narrow shape
One of the key tactical
questions heading into this game was whether Barça could make the most
of Juve's narrow diamond formation. Within five minutes of the first
whistle, the answer was an emphatic yes. All it took was a smart
crossfield switch from Messi to trigger a chain of events that led to
the first goal; the most important of them all being the decision of Andrea Barzagli
to pull wide and leave the space for Iniesta and Ivan Rakitić to
exploit. It was the perfect play to exploit Max Allegri's side, and it
was an early kick in the teeth for the Italians.
2. Arturo Vidal was lucky to avoid a red
Juventus' Arturo Vidal is one
of the best midfielders in the world on his day, characterized by an
unparalleled workrate in the center of the field. Not only is he a
strong tackler, but a brilliant goalscoring threat in attack.
Unfortunately, the opening exchanges of this match saw his tenacity get
the better of him, and he was throwing himself into challenges he didn't
need to make. He was lucky to avoid being sent off, which would have
killed the game almost before it had started. As it was, he survived,
and once settled began to have a positive influence on proceedings
3. Juve did well to weather the storm
Barça's frighteningly good
start not only overawed Vidal, but seemingly Juve as a whole. They were
being utterly overrun through the game's opening quarter, and looked
like conceding a hatful. It was thanks to their mental fortitude that
they were able to edge their way back into the game, and for a spell in
the second half had their opponents on the ropes. It will be no
consolation now, but Massimiliano Allegri's side can look back on this
match with some pride.
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